The dramatic four-game series between the Royals and Blue Jays turned ugly on Sunday afternoon in Toronto as Kansas City lost 5-2 in the finale. Neither team appeared happy with the umpiring crew as a series of hit-by-pitches escalated into an on-field confrontation. “He’s a little baby,” Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez said of Toronto’s Josh Donaldson, who twice reacted angrily when Kansas City pitched him inside. “He was crying like a baby.”

After seven months of running, lifting and studying, the Chiefs finally will get back to real football Monday. Defensive players who missed a significant amount of time last year due to injuries will get to see where they’re at physically, but the first day in pads will also help the offense in many ways.

If you don’t mind veering off the beaten path a little, we have some ideas. We dispatched Kansas City Star writers in every direction to find some of the odder attractions in Missouri and Kansas. Some of these places might not be your final destination, but then again, if you like quirky, they could be. And several are right here in the Kansas City area.

Editor's Picks

Every year, hundreds of beauty pageant contestants travel from across the country to Kansas City for lessons with Bill Wolfe — to purchase competition tracks, to discover a talent or to perfect one. Since 1990, Wolfe has worked on music for nine Miss America winners, and has had contestants place among the 15 semi-finalists every year.

A database of medical industry payments to physicians and teaching hospitals shows the industry in 2014 provided food and beverages for 558 physicians who listed KU Medical Center as their primary business address. The medical school is investigating whether these physicans violated its rules. Some physicians have questioned the accuracy of the data.

One of the best stories of the Chiefs’ 2015 training camp lasted less than 72 hours. On Sunday, the club announced that it had released former Raytown running back LaVance Taylor — the player who asked the Chiefs for a job via Twitter and got one — to make room for running back Darrin Reaves of Alabama-Birmingham.

For nearly 30 years, Donald Trump teased the American public that he might run for president. In New Hampshire restaurants and on “Meet the Press,” he told anyone who would listen that he could win if he ever ran. Now the rubber has finally hit the road.

The Lenexa Police Department has issued a statement about an arrest video that captured national attention, saying the officer acted appropriately. The video pictured an officer who made a traffic stop this week near 95th and Halsey because the individual was not wearing a seat belt. Officers learned the individual had warrants out for his arrest.

Kansas City Deals

Contests

Enter for your chance to be 1 of 3 winners of a $100 Visa Gift Card Courtesy of the Ethnic Enrichment Festival August 21st through August 23rd at Swope Park in Kansas City, MO. Adults are just $3 and Kids 12 & under are free!

Today's Circulars

Blogs & Columns

Is Johnson County among more than 200 counties, cities, and states that are considered “sanctuaries” for illegal immigrants? According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the answer is yes. Johnson County Sheriff Frank Denning adamantly disagrees.

Is Johnson County among more than 200 counties, cities, and states that are considered “sanctuaries” for illegal immigrants? According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the answer is yes. Johnson County Sheriff Frank Denning adamantly disagrees.

This is my third A/C-free summer, and I don’t think I could return to the refrigerated home life. It’s a choice, not a hardship. The first July in my no-central-air house, a friend gave me a window unit for the bedroom. I installed it, never used it, and took it out again. To me, kicking the A/C habit feels liberating, not limiting.

A wall-mounted wooden telephone with a crank on the side would seem, on reflection, to have been a rather primitive system. But I’m not sure that’s the case. Yes, telephone service has gotten digitized and much more automated. But more convenient? That’s an open question.